


Broomstick

by teddylupin_snape



Series: my heartbeat sounds like you [8]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-09-30 23:53:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17233520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teddylupin_snape/pseuds/teddylupin_snape
Summary: James is getting a new broom, and Al is jealous.





	Broomstick

              “But _Mum_ ,” Albus whined. He had crossed his arms, his face an adorable petulant. “Why can’t I have a broom, too?”

              Ginny sighed, crouching down so she was at eye level with her eight-year-old son. “ _Because_ James is the one off to Hogwarts. When you go to school, you can get a broomstick, too, if that’s what you want.”

              “But he can’t even bring it to school yet! It’s not fair. He won’t even get to ride it, but I’ll be home and I could ride a broom.” Al’s eyes shifted back and forth, clearly thinking hard.

              Trying to shift his attention from the realization that he’d probably be able to fly James’s broom, Ginny said, “You’ve already got a broom, though, Al.”

              “It’s a small one,” he pouted. “Daddy, tell Mummy that I should get a broom, too.” Albus looked imploringly at Harry, who then met Ginny’s eyes. She rolled her eyes.

              Ginny rose to her feet, dusting off the knees of her robes. “You take James and Lily inside,” Harry murmured to her. He turned back to Albus, straightening out his scarf. “It’s cold out here, isn’t it? Think it’s too cold for ice cream?”

              Albus made a show of pretending to think about it. “No! Never too cold for ice cream.”

              “Great,” Harry said, chuckling as he took Al’s hand and lead them down Diagon Alley. They walked past Quality Quidditch Supplies—Harry glanced in the windows as they passed, recognizing his family immediately—and down the lane to Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor.

              He bought them both large ice creams. Albus’s was nearly the size of his head. Harry briefly considered the fact that he probably shouldn’t be buying his son’s happiness, but then he saw the grin on Al’s face. He couldn’t be upset. Harry reached over, ruffling the kid’s jet black hair.

              “I used to come here a lot when I was young,” Harry said, gazing fondly at the ghea full of ice cream. Albus looked up at him briefly, half-interested, before returning to his ice cream. “They had to close it down when the war got really bad. I’m glad they’ve been able to open it back up. The old owner, Mr. Fortescue, used to give me free ice creams.”

              “Okay, Dad. But what kind of broom do you think Jamie’s getting?”

              Harry laughed at the blatant change in subject. “I’m sure your mum’s helping him find a good one. The brand names aren’t really important, not as much as the broom itself.”

              “What broom would you get?”

              He thought for a moment. Albus’s eyes were bright, and there was ice cream dripping down his chin. Harry moved to wipe it off as he answered. “I’ve had my eye on that Firebolt 5.”

              “I want the Comet 300. It’s white! So cool.”

              Harry finished his ice cream, putting the cup back down onto the table. “Al, I want you to promise me you won’t go borrowing Jamie’s broom while he’s at school.”

              “But—”

              “ _Albus_.”

              “Fine. I promise. But only if I can get my own when I’m eleven.”

              Harry put out a hand. “Deal.” Al took it, shaking hands.

              The door to the shop opened, bell tinkling. Al turned in his seat, watching Ginny, James, and Lily enter. James was carrying a long, thin package wrapped in brown paper. They pulled over extra chairs to Harry and Al’s table, taking a seat. Ginny kissed Harry. “How did I know you’d be here?”

              “I’m predictable,” he answered simply. “What flavor do you want, Lil, Jamie? Do you want anything?” he asked Ginny.

              Ginny shook her head, a flurry of snowflakes falling to the table. Al giggled. “I’m fine,” she told Harry. “Merlin, that weather is terrible.”

              Lily jumped to her feet, taking Harry’s hand to order her ice cream with him. He watched James’s face, but the boy was too busy unwrapping his new broom to worry with dessert.

              When the two of them returned to the table, James was pointing out all the features of his new Cleansweep 21 to Albus, trying to impress him. It wasn’t hard at all to do. Al’s eyes were as wide as James’s. Harry met Ginny’s eyes, both of them smiling brightly at their kids.

              Harry set to work cleaning up their trash as the kids fawned over the new broomstick. Their table was littered with the torn wrapping paper. “I thought you were going for the new Firebolt,” Harry said. He cleared off his seat before sitting down and admiring the new broom.

              “Well, that’s what I wanted at first, but they didn’t have any more.”

              “That Firebolt’s so popular, it’s almost impossible to find in stock now.” Ginny started picking up the bits of paper scattered around the floor. “I told James we could owl-order one, but then we found this. He didn’t want to wait.”

              James grinned, apparently excited enough with his second-choice broomstick. Harry smiled at him. “Mum helped me find this. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? And she said it’s supposed to be really good. She said Rhys Thomas has one now!”

              “All the Catapults fly on a Cleansweep 21 now,” Ginny corrected.

              James looked over at her, eyes wide. “Yeah, but so does _Thomas_. He’s my favorite Keeper, Mum.”

              “I know, love.”

              Albus and Lily finished their ice creams, and the Potters ventured back out to the main street.


End file.
